MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Mercosur Summit scheduled for Puerto Iguazú

Alberto Fernández will pass on the bloc's rotating presidency to Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva

The Argentine city of Puerto Iguazú in the province of Misiones will host the LXII Mercosur Summit on July 3 and 4, during which Alberto Fernández will pass on the pro tempore presidency of the bloc to his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva, it was announced Friday in Buenos Aires.

On the opening day, Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero will coordinate the Common Market Council (CMC) Ordinary Meeting with his colleagues from the other member countries. Argentine will then submit the balance report of its semester at the helm of the trade group made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

The Summit is to be held at the Gran Meliá Hotel, inside the Iguazú National Park, it was explained.

Lula is expected to relaunch Mercosur as a key instrument of international economic insertion of the member states, a view shared by Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, but on which Uruguay has discrepancies following President Luis Lacalle Pou's plans to join the Broad and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, made up of eleven countries from Asia and America.

Also participating in the Summit will be Mercosur-associated states: Bolivia (in the process of accession), Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname.